Carton closer and sealer



June 30, 1970 H. H, WEBER 3,

CARTON CLOSER AND SEALER Filed Sept. 5, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i Tgsol/Raf 0F 4/? I /1 5? PRESSURE E 7 z 4 L l 47 June 30, 1970 H. H, WEBER3,511,481

. CARTON CLOSER AND SEALER Filed Sept. 3, 195B 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 55. I5 4 9 l 1 E 2/4 34;; m I WLL -11 FEE 5 I h 1 M I 7 1m vhwox.

-. l 5?? 57 J3 55 akacter 7Vzaze BY A WATTORNEYS United States PatentOfice 3,517,481 Patented June 30, 1970 US. Cl. 53-374 13 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE Carton closer and sealer in which cartons havingadhesive applied to their closure flaps are successively supplied to acompression column. The flaps are moved to closed positions as they aresupplied to the column and are sealed by the weight of the cartons inthe column. The compression column is tilted at an acute angle withrespect to the vertical. A hydraulic cylinder and piston having a liftplate on its upper end are provided to support and lower the cartons.The lift plate conforms to the plane of the bottom of the bottom cartonof the column of cartons and passes downwardly beneath ejector meansejecting and supporting the stack of cartons in the column during theejecting operation and between and beneath the material carrying surfaceof a pair of horizontal conveyors, successively carrying the cartonsaway from the closer and sealer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The carton closer and sealer of the presentapplication operates on principles similar to those shown and describedin my joint application with Robert L. Beninger, Ser. No. 522,636, filedJan. 24, 1966 and now Pat. No. 3,406,495.

While the carton closer and sealer in the foregoing application servesto efficiently close, seal and lower cartons in a stack or column ofcartons, with such carton closers and sealers, difiiculties have beenencountered in breaking the lower carton away from the column of cartonswhen transferring the carton from the column, many times resulting incrushing of the lower carton.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS The present invention facilitatesthe breaking away of the lowermost carton of the stack of cartons, andavoids crushing of the carton by inclining the compression column, alongwhich the cartons are lowered, at an acute angle with respect to thevertical. The platform lowering the cartons has a support surfaceperpendicular to the angle of the column of cartons and lowers alowermost carton at the angle of the column for ejection and transferfrom the column along a horizontal traveling surface, in the form ofbelt conveyors having horizontal material carrying runs extending alongeach side of the lift plate. This breaks the lowermost carton from thebottom carton of the stack of cartons, leaving only edge contact withthe bottom carton of the stack of cartons, and enables the ejector tocome into supporting engagement with the stack of cartons during itsinitial ejecting operation.

A principal object of the invention, therefore, is to improve upon thecompression types of carton closers and sealers heretofore in use, andto facilitate the breaking away of the bottom carton from a column ofcartons by inclining the column of cartons at a slight acute angle withrespect to the vertical and transferring the lowermost carton of thecolumn from the bottom of the column onto a horizontal surface, allwhile supporting the next adjacent uppermost carton in the plane of thecolumn of cartons.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved formof carton compression and lowering apparatus capable of efficientlysealing the closure flaps of cartons, in which the breaking away of thebottom carton from the stack of cartons is facilitated by providingvertically extending guide means for the cartons, forming a successionof stacked cartons into a column, and inclining the guide means at arelatively flat acute angle with respect to the vertical, in which thecartons are lowered by a platform engaging the bottom carton of thecolumn of cartons and having a support surface extending perpendicularto the angle of inclination of the column, and by transferring thelowermost carton to a horizontal transferring surface as lowered andthereby providing an angle of break between the carton on the horizontaltransfer surface and the bottom carton of the column of cartons.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an articlesealing and lowering apparatus arranged with a view toward effectingready breaking away of a bottom carton from a column of cartons andthereby eliminating crushing of the lowermost carton as transferred fromthe column of cartons.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to timeas the following specification proceeds and with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in sideelevation of a carton closer and sealer constructed in accordance withthe principles of the present invention, with certain parts broken away.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the carton closer and sealer shown in FIG. 1,with certain parts broken away, and with the transfer conveyor generallyshown in transverse section; and

FIG. 3 is a detail plan view showing a detail of the ejector forejecting a lowered carton from beneath the stack of cartons.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION Referring now to FIG. 1of the drawings, I have shown by broken lines a packaging article suchas a carton 10 on a conventional conveyor 11 delivering the cartons to atilted compression column 12. Each carton is of a conventionalrectangular form and has a pair of closure flaps 13 integrally connectedthereto and having freshly applied adhesive thereon.

As shown in FIG. 1 the closure flaps 13 are moved into their closedpositions by air jets 15 connected to a source of air under pressure 17.The air jets 15 are herein shown for illustrative purposes only, itbeing understood that various means may be provided for closing theflaps of the cartons to be adhesively sealed in the closed posi tions bythe weight of a next succeeding carton discharged thereon. The supply ofair through the air jets may be turned on or off by the presence of acarton in any suitable manner, which is no part of the present inventionso need not herein be shown or described further.

The tilted compression column of cartons 12 is supported for loweringmovement in a vertically extending frame structure 19 includingvertically extending side and end frame members 20 which may be in theform of angle irons mounted in a suitable foundation on the floor andconnected together adjacent their upper ends by crossbars 21,intermediate their ends by crossbars 22 and adjacent their lower ends bycrossbars 23 and 24 extending beneath the discharge end portion of thecolumn 12. Suitable transverse frame members such as end frame members25 are provided to space the side and end frame members apart inparallel relation with respect to each other.

The cartons are shown as being retained to form the column 12 byparallel spaced guide plates 26 mounted between the crossbars 21 and 22and spaced apart a distance equal to substantially the width of thearticle or carton to be closed and sealed. The forward and rear ends ofthe column are closed by guide members 27. The guide plates 26 and theguide members 27 may extend at the angle of tilt of the column 12. Asuitable angle of tilt is 3 The angle of tilt, however, may be as low as1 and may be as high as 8 and over and still attain the advantages ofsealing the cartons by compression, and the ready breaking away of thecartons upon delivery. The guide members 27 adjacent the conveyor 11 arecut away to accommodate the conveyor to discharge a carton between theguide members 26 into engagement with the forward guide members 27.

The column of cartons is supported on a lift platform 30 between twohorizontally extending belt conveyors 31, having horizontal materialcarrying surfaces mounted on the cross frame members 24. The liftplatform 30 is mounted on the upper end of a piston rod 32 extensiblefrom a cylinder 33 and suitably mounted at its piston rod end betweenthe cross frame members 24. The piston rod 32 and cylinder 33 extend atthe angle of the column 12. The carton engaging surface of the liftplatform is perpendicular to the column and parallel to the bottoms ofcartons therein, to maintain the lowermost carton in the plane of thetilted column of cartons, as lowered to engage the horizontal materialcarrying surfaces of the belt conveyors 31. The cylinder 33 serves ineffect as a supporting and lowering cylinder and may be automaticallyoperable responsive to a suitable actuator switch (not shown) at the topof the column, operated as a top carton is moved into the column as inmy joint patent with Robert L. Beninger, No. 3,406,495. Lowering of theplatform 30 will thus deposit a sealed carton at the bottom of thecolumn onto the horizontal material carrying surfaces of the conveyorbelts 31, as the platform 30' moves beneath the planes of said surfaces,between said conveyor belts into the position shown in FIG. 1.

As the lowermost carton rests on the material carrying surfaces of theconveyor belts 31, its top surface is at an angle to the bottom surfaceof the bottom carton of the column of cartons and supports the columnalong its trailing edge only. At this time a transverse cylinder 35oriented in a horizontal position is supplied with fluid under pressureto move an ejector 36 along the bottom of the column to free thetrailing edge of the carton 10 from the bottom carton of a stack ofcartons and bring supporting surfaces 37 of said ejector into supportingengagement with the bottom carton of the stack of cartons. The loweredcarton is carried away by the horizontal material carrying surfaces ofthe conveyor belts 31.

It may here be seen that since the bottom carton of the stack of cartonsis supported only by the trailing edge of the horizontally extendingcarton 10, as the ejector 36 engages and moves the lowermost cartonrelative to the column of cartons, it will come into supportingengagement with the trailing edge of the bottom carton of the column ofcartons and free the lowermost carton on the horizontal materialcarrying surfaces of the conveyor belts 31 from the column of cartons,with a minimum amount of travel of the lowermost carton along the belts31. Frictional resistance between the lowermost carton as ejected fromthe column and the bottom carton in the colmun, therefore, is minimaland the ejected carton is freed as the supporting surfaces 37 of theejector 36, move a distance sufficient to move the lowermost carton outof the position shown and come into supporting engagement with thebottom carton in the column of cartons.

As shown in FIG. 1 the cylinder 35 is suitably supported at its head endin an upright bracket structure 39 extending across rearward extensions38 of the crossbars 23 and upwardly of said crossbars. The cylinder 35is positioned to one side of the path of travel of the lift plate 30, toposition a piston rod extensible from said cylinder, out of the path oftravel of the lift plate 30. The lift plate 30 may, therefore, come intosupporting engagement with the bottom carton in the column of cartons asthe carton on the conveyor belts 11 has moved relative to the column adistance sufiicient to effect the support of the column by the supportsurfaces 37, to thereby accommodate free retractable movement of theejector 36 as the conveyor belts 31 carry the lowermost carton away.

As shown in FIG. 1, the piston rod 40 has a coupling eye 41 on its outeror forward end, extending between the furcations of a bifurcated bracket43, suitably secured to the rear face of an ejector plate 47, to oneside of the platform 30. A pivot pin 45 serves to connect the couplingeye to said bifurcated bracket.

The ejector 36 includes the parallel spaced front ejector plates 47movable along opposite sides of the platform 30 and terminating at theirupper ends into the support surfaces or plates 37, extending rearwardlyof the ejector plates 47 along the cylinder 35. The support surfaces orplates 37 are connected together at their rear ends by a plate 48extending along the top of the cylinder 35 and having a recessed portion48a, for receiving said cylinder 35. Brackets 49, 49 extend across therear sides of the ejector plates 47 and laterally outwardly therefromand form supports for rollers 50 having rolling engagement with lowerlegs 51 of the crossbars 23 and supporting the ejector 36 for movementtherealong. Similar brackets 53 extend across the plate 48 and formsupports for rollers 55 supported on the flanges 51 of the crossbars 23.Retainer gibs 56 and 57 depend from the respective brackets 49 and 53and extend under the horizontal legs 51 of the cross frame member 23 toretain the ejector 36 to said crossbars 23 for movement therealong in ahorizontal plane.

It may be seen from the foregoing that by supporting the column ofcartons in an inclined plane and deposting the bottom carton forejection along a horizontal plane, and by supporting the column ofcartons by the ejector mechanism for the bottom carton as the lowermostcarton is initially moved to a discharge position, the is a mrnimum ofcontact between the lowermost carton as ejected and the bottom carton inthe column of cartons, with a resultant ready ejection or break away ofthe bottom carton along the horizontal conveying surface of the conveyorbelts 31 and an elimination of friction between the lowermost carton asejected and the bottom carton of the column, thereby reducing thepossibilities of crushing the lowermost carton.

It may further be seen that the conveyor belts 31 cooperate with theejector 36 to assist in ejecting the lowermost carton from the bottomcarton of the column. It should further be understood that the entirecarton closing and sealing system may be controlled automatically by asystem of limit switches and valves as in my joint patent with Robert L.Beninger, No. 3,406,495, or may be under manual control. The system ofswitches and valves may be of various well known forms and is no part ofthe present invention so need not herein be shown or described further.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which the inventionmay be embodied, it may readily be understood that various variationsand modifications in the invention may be attained without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. An article compression and lowering apparatus of the class describedcomprising;

vertically extending guide mans defining a compression chamber generallyconforming to and confining a succession of articles in a verticalstack,

support means supporting and lowering the stack of articles fordelivery,

transfer means for transferring a lowermost article from the stack, saidguide means and stack extending at an acute angle with respect to thetrue vertical, said support means and lowering means being perpendicularto the angle of inclination of said guide means and stack, and saidtransfer means supporting the lowermost article for movement along ahorizontal plane for transfer from the bottom article of the stack. 2.An article compression apparatus in accordance with claim 1,

wherein the angle of the guide means with respect to the vertical is inthe range of between 1 and 5. 3. An article compression apparatus inaccordance with claim 1,

wherein the angle of the guide means with respect to the vertical is inthe order of 3 4. An article compression apparatus in accordance withclaim 1,

wherein the support means comprises a platform having a support surfaceextending in a plane perpendicular to the vertical axis of the guidemeans, and wherein a fluid pressure cylinder having a piston there in,and a piston rod extensible therefrom forms a support for said platfromand is supported beneath said platform for lowering said platformbeneath the horizontal supporting surface of said transfer means, tosupport an article to be ejected in a horizontal plane at an acute anglewith respect to the bottom surface of the bottom article of the stack ofarticles. 5. An article compression and lowering apparatus in accordancewith claim 4,

wherein the transfer means comprises a pair of conveyor belts extendingalong opposite sides of said platform and having horizontal materialcarrying surfaces supporting the article as transferred from the stackat an acute angle with respect to the angle of the bottoms of thearticles in the stack. 6. An article compression and lowering apparatusin accordance with claim 5,

wherein an ejector plate is movable in the direction of travel of theconveyor to eject the article from the bottom article in the stack andto come into supporting engagement with the bottom article of the stackof articles during the ejecting operation. 7. An article compression andlowering apparatus in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the ejector includes laterally spaced vertically extendingejector plates movable to extend along opposite sides of said platformduring the ejecting operation, to accommodate said platform to movevertically therebetween to come into supporting engagement with thebottom article of the stack of articles, during the operation ofejecting the articles along said horizontal conveyor. 8. An articlecompression and lowering apparatus in accordance with claim 7,

wherein horizontal support plates extend rearwardly of said ejectorplates in the plane of the top surfaces thereof to come into supportingengagement with the edge only of the bottom article of the stack ofarticles during the operation of ejecting an article along saidconveyors. 9. An article compression and lowering apparatus inaccordance with claim 8,

wherein fluid pressure operated cylinder and piston means have operativeconnection with said ejector and are connected together to one side ofsaid platform, to accommodate ejecting movement of said ejector duringelevation of said platform to come into supporting and loweringengagement with a bottom article of the stack of articles.

10. An article compression and lowering apparatus in accordance withclaim 9,

wherein the angle of tilt of the column is in the range of between 1 and10, and supports the bottom carton of the stack of cartons at the angleof tilt of the column, as moving to eject a lowermost carton, and

wherein the ejector moves in the plane of said conveyors, 11. An articlecompression closing and sealing apparatus of the class described, inwhich each article has at least one panel associated therewith havingadhesive applied thereto for adhesively securing said panel in a closedposition comprising,

vertically extending guide means inclined at an acute angle with respectto the true vertical and defining a chamber generally conforming to andconfining a succession of articles in a vertically extending stack,

means successively supplying articles to said guide means,

closer means for moving each panel into a closed position as eacharticle enters said guide means, to accommodate a next succeedingarticle to be supported on the panel of a preceding article, andfacilitate the creation of an adhesive bond between the panel and thearticle, by the weight of the next succeeding article thereon,

support means supporting and lowering the stack of articles, having asupport surface extending parallel to the bottoms of the articles in thestack and successively lowering the stack of articles a distance equalto the height of an article and bringing the lowermost article beneathsaid guide means for discharge therefrom,

reciprocable means supporting said support means and extending at theangle of the stack, and

transfer means supporting the article for movement along a horizontalplane and movable across the bottom of the stack of articles, to movethe lowermost article to a position out of alignment with the stack andguide means, and accommodating the article supported on said transfermeans to break away from said stack upon the initial operation of saidtransfer means.

12. An article closing apparatus in accordance with claim 11,

wherein the support means includes a platform having a support surfaceinclined at an angle parallel to the bottoms of the articles in thestack, wherein fluid pressure cylinder and piston means form a supportfor said platform to effect raising of said platform into engagementwith the bottom article in the stack and lowering of said platformbeneath the horizontal surface of said transfer means, to attain anacute break away angle between the lowermost article on said transfermeans and the bottom of the bottom article in the stack of articles, and

wherein the transfer means comprises a pair of conveyors extending alongopposite sides of said platform and having horizontal material carryingsurfaces and,

a. cooperating reciprocably movable ejector movable in the plane of thematerial carrying surfaces of said conveyors to break the lowermostarticle away from the stack of articles and to come into supportingengagement with the stack of articles.

13. In a method of compressing and lowering articles and breaking alowermost article away from a stack of articles, the steps of,

guiding a stack of articles in a column to move downwardly at an acuteangle with respect to the verticle, supporting a bottom article of thestack of articles in 7 a plane parallel to the plane of the bottom ofthe lowermost article of the stack, lowering the stack of articles sosupported a distance equal to the height of one articles, and during thelowering operation bringing the lowermost article in the stack intosupporting engagement with 5 a horizontal transfer surface andtransferring the lowermost article along this surface and thensupporting the stack of articles independently of the lowermost articleduring the transferring operation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,934,221 4/1960 Tonna 214-63,406,495 10/ 1968 Beninger et a1 53374 TRAVIS S. McGEHEE, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X.R.

